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Hundreds of Halloween revelers took to Durango’s Main Avenue Wednesday night for the fifth annual “zombie march,” but a feared “takeover” of the streets didn’t materialize, The Durango Herald reported.
The unauthorized procession with an estimated 800 to 900 participants lasted one hour and resulted in three arrests, Police Chief Jim Spratlen told The Herald.
It was a smaller and tamer event than last year’s “zombie march,” that attracted about 1,500 people and resulted in 22 arrests.
“I don’t want a crowd taking over the street,” Spratlen told the paper. “But this outcome is very pleasing to me compared to last year.”
Two people were arrested for fighting and one was arrested for possession of drugs, Spratlen told The Herald. Unlike last year’s arrests, no one was arrested for failure to disperse, inciting a riot or assault on a police officer.
5:48am 10/31/12 — Durango Cops Leery of ‘Zombie March’
By ABQnews Staff
Durango police are hoping to halt an unauthorized “zombie march” tonight on Main Avenue but acknowledge that if a critical mass of zombies and ghouls show up, they will probably have to let the march proceed, The Durango Herald reported.
“We’re trying to prevent this march from occurring,” Police Chief Jim Spratlen told The Herald. “It’s going to be based on how many people show up … If they’re walking in the street, it’s against the law.”
The fifth annual zombie march is scheduled to begin at 11:55 p.m. today at College Drive and Main Avenue, the paper reported.
No one has applied for a special-use permit, and the city has not prepared for a march other than to beef up law enforcement, Sherri Dugdale, assistant to the city manager, told The Herald.
Last year’s march attracted about 1,500 people who walked up and down Main Avenue, and when police ordered the crowd to disperse, about 75 people sat down in the middle of the street and refused to leave, The Herald said. Some marchers tried to overturn a car, and others threw bottles and trash at police officers.
Police in riot gear used batons and pepper spray to break up the crowd, and 22 people were arrested on charges ranging from failure to disperse to assault on a police officer, according to The Herald.
